A former professional footballer turned to dealing cocaine after sustaining an injury which brought his playing career to an end, a court heard.

Paul Jellye, who was signed to Dundee FC, claimed he first got involved with the Class A drug while he was playing football and later started dealing to fund his own habit.

He was caught after someone was taken ill and reported that they had ingested cocaine which was traced back to Jellye, a court was told.

Fiscal depute Julie McAra told the court that an investigation was launched into Jellye's activities and a search was eventually carried out at his Perth home.

Although no cocaine was found on that occasion, a mobile phone was discovered with messages which made it clear Jellye had been supplying the drug to others.

Jellye, 23, of Guards Way, Perth, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine from his home and elsewhere between May 8 and September 7 last year.

Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said: "He was an able sportsman who had hopes of becoming a professional footballer. He had been in the professional ranks until the age of 18.

"He then got an injury which halted his career. He is working as a warehouseman, but still hopes to get back into football in some way in the future."

Sheriff Robert McCreadie told Jellye: "You have pled guilty to being a cocaine drug dealer. That is the status you have acquired for yourself in the community.

"I was wondering why, when it looked as if he had a reasonable career before him, he should participate - on more than one occasion - in such an evil trade as cocaine?

"It's ignorance, stupidity, anti-social and it feeds criminal conduct. Any person, aged 23 like him, should be well aware of that. He should be, and is, publicly shamed here today."

The sheriff told Jellye that his sentencing options were limited because the Crown had been unable to say how much cocaine the accused had been dealing to others.

He said that if the Crown had been able to prove it was a significant amount of the drug then he would have sent the former footballer to prison.

Sheriff McCreadie told Jellye that he had narrowly avoided being sent to jail and he was ordered to carry out 240 hours community service instead.